January 6, 1982 - End of His Career, When He Came Full Circle and Ended up Playing Third Base Once in a While
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CAMBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME Scott Thorman The Braves were high on Thorman. The next season, the Braves traded first baseman Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh to make room for him at first base. It would only be years later, near the January 6, 1982 - end of his career, when he came full circle and ended up playing third base once in a while. At Preston High School Scott Thorman was known as a gifted athlete as was one of his good Thorman earned his first multi-home run game on May 12, 2007 in a 9–2 win over the friends, Nathan Brannen. Both made it to OFSAA: Brannen in distance events, and Thorman in Pittsburgh Pirates. On September 22, he hit a pinch-hit game-tying homer with two outs in the the javelin. bottom of the 10th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Braves went on to win the game Thorman would go on to play baseball in the Major Leagues for the Atlanta Braves, while an inning later. Brannen would become a three-time Olympian in the 1500 metres. Appearing in 120 games for the Braves in his second season, he hit .216, though he did man- At PHS he came under the tutelage of coach Mike Kilpatrick. "He really had a big impact on age 11 home runs and 36 RBI. At the trade deadline the Braves acquired Mark Teixeira, which me," said Thorman, who excelled in many sports. But baseball was his calling. significantly reduced Thorman's playing time. At season's end he was taken off their 40-man In the early years he was an outstanding pitcher, though his preferred position was third roster and sent to triple-A Richmond. base, but he also stood out at the plate. Indeed, He became a free agent at the end of the season even as a youngster he was hitting long balls that Scott Thorman as but also had the chance to play for Team Canada people still talk about. He remembers seeing the a member of the at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. "Being able to "big" diamond, with real dugouts," at Waterworks Atlanta Braves, and represent your country – there's nothing like it. And Park, and can recall hitting the ball over the fence even more cool was that I got to hang out with one there. Then he began to hit a few more home runs, inset, as one of Pres- of my best friends, Nathan, for two weeks in China. "and that gave me some confidence. It felt really ton High School's We grew up together," recalls Thorman. "We met natural for me. And I was really fortunate to have outstanding athletes up at William G. Davis, and then went through the support of my family too. My Grandma was a in 1999. He was high school together." Thorman graduated in 2000; snowbird and went to Dunedin, so we used to go Brannen continued for his OAC year. down during spring training. We'd drive down as a drafted in the first "We're still very good friends, and he comes by family and stay at my Grandma's for March Break round by the Braves every year over the holidays when he comes home." and just watch baseball. And it wasn't just major two weeks before he After a spectacular career, Brannen announced his league ball. I'd ride the bike over to the minor retirement in late March, 2018. league park and watch baeball all day. and now I finished high school. In the off-season Thorman would often help out get paid to do it." at the Galt Minor Hockey School. "Al (Findlay) got The Honda Hit, Run and Throw competition me involved in that, and I didn't help out as much was also a big deal for Thorman when he was as I would have liked, but being around those young eight or nine. "I was fortunate enough to make it kids and helping out, I think you learn as much from to the finals of the comeptition in the SkyDome coaching as you do from playing sometimes. Even (Rogers Centre), back when it was the SkyDome, though hockey wasn't my main sport, stuff I learned and I think I won that at an early age, so that gave there I've ended up teaching to my nephews and my me some confidence as well." own kids when learning to skate. It is an unbeliev- The son of Rob and Carol Thorman, his father's able program and was very rewarding to be able to unexpected death from cancer when he was 12 hit help out." hard. Thorman also played for Canada in the inaugural "He coached, but it wasn't just sports. It was 2006 World Baseball Classic. riding bikes and just doing father-son stuff, but After the Braves, Thorman signed with the baseball was something I started to get more inter- Milwaukee Brewers, but finished the 2009 season ested in and it was kind of a natural progression," in Omaha, Kansas City Royals AAA affiliate, where said Thorman, who looks back fondly on his he had a strong year, hitting .297 with 19 home runs days with the Cambridge Tyke Cubs. and 63 RBIs in 97 games with the Triple-A Omaha Major League scouts had him in their sights Royals. After two seasons with Omaha he was from an early age. When he was selected by the signed by the Detroit Tiger organization. He still Atlanta Braves as a third baseman in the first loved the game and wasn't ready to give it up. round of the Major League Baseball Draft — He returned home and gave local fans a treat he was the 30th player drafted overall — his when, after a short-lived stint in Mexico, he professional career was off and running. Only played in the Intercounty Baseball League with the 18, at that time, he was the highest draft ever Brantford Red Sox. He helped the Red Sox win the from Canada. Intercounty title before calling it quits on a 13-year He left PHS on a high, signing a standard professional career. minor league deal that was capped with the “With a young family it’s time to move on and highest signing bonus given to a Canadian pursue other ventures," he said at the time. "There’s at the time, $1.225 million US. no regrets. I make every decision I’ve made in my Reporting to the Gulf Coast League Braves, he baseball career for my family. I feel very fortunate to finished the season there, having played in 29 games and hitting .227, with one home have been able to play baseball for 13 years ...I had a lot of great opportunities.” run and 19 RBI. He was at peace with his career, he said. It might not all have gone the way he would have A shoulder injury — he dislocated his left shoulder a month before he was drafted, but scripted it, but it was an impressive career. played through it — and subsequent surgery by a top surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama, forced “A lot of things are out of your control, but that’s life. I feel very lucky because not many him to sit out the 2000 season. people get to do what I did as a career and it was a lot of fun.” But it was only a temporary setback as he started to climb up through the Braves system. In The father of three children, his experience playing professional ball proved invaluable for 2006 Thorman finally made it to the big leagues with the Braves, thanks, he says to "timing and a second career in coaching, south of the border, which he has enjoyed since his playing days opportunity." He made his debut on June 18, 2006, Father's Day, and the significance was not ended. lost on Thorman or his family. "Family means everything to me," he said. It was a fitting day to "The numbers are staggering," he says of the chance for a young player to reach the Majors. finally realize his dream of playing in the majors. His entire family was there, as were thoughts "So I feel very fortunate to have had things go my way and am thankful to the Braves for of his father. Their constant support had made it all possible. He was playing left field for the selecting me, believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play." first time in his life. Two days later he got his first major league hit, an RBI single, against Scott He was manager of the Burlington Royals of the Appalachian League from 2015-16 after Downs of the Toronto Blue Jays. having been bench coach in 2014. He led Burlington to the Appalachian League finals with a His debut was memorable as it came on a Sunday in ESPN's Game of the Week against 42-26 regular season record in 2016, and was voted the league's manager of the year. Boston. Coming up from Richmond, it was a huge stage. Curt Schilling was pitching for the In 2017 he was promoted to manager of the Kansas City Royals' minor-league baseball team Red Sox. "Kelly and I drove from Richmond to Atlanta, got a hotel, and I went to the park the in Lexington, and in 2018 he was back for a second year as manager of the Lexington Legends next day and it was just so surreal.